SECI has announced an RfS for setting up of 750 MW grid-connected solar photovoltaic power projects in Rajasthan. The land, connectivity & long-term open access shall be the scope of the developer. The tender is a “Build-Own-Operate” (BOO) basis where SECI will enter into a Power Purchase Agreement with the successful bidders for a period of 25 years. The power produced through the project is decided to be sold to Rajasthan Urja Vikas Nigam Limited (RUVNL). The summary of the RfS is as below:

Minimum individual capacities of 10 MW, and shall be set up in multiples of 10 MW.

Commissioning period

For project capacity (1-240 MW): Scheduled Commissioning Date (SCD) shall be the date as on 21 months from the effective date of the PPA

For project capacity (250 MW and above): the SCD for the Project shall be the date as on 24 months of the effective date of the PPA

Processing fee

Rs. 3 Lakh +18% GST for each Project from 10 MW up to 40 MW capacity

Rs. 5 Lakh + 18% GST for each Project from 50 MW up to 90 MW capacity

Rs. 10 Lakh + 18% GST for each Project from 100 MW and above capacity

Earnest Money deposit

Amount: INR 10,00,000/- (Indian Rupees Ten Lacs) per MW per Project to be submitted in the form of Bank Guarantee along with the Response to RfS

Performance Bank Guarantee (PBG)

Bidders selected by SECI based on this RfS shall submit Performance Guarantee for a value @ INR 20 Lakh/ MW within 30 days of issuance of Letter of Intent (LoI) or before signing of PPA, whichever is earlier.

Ceiling tariff

INR 2.93/ kWh for 25 years.

SECI has issued this RfS in line with the Ministry of Power (MoP) issued “Guidelines for Tariff Based Competitive Bidding Process for Procurement of Power from Grid Connected Solar PV Power Projects” since August 2017.

During the auction for a 250 MW capacity for Adani Renewable Energy Park in Bhadla, Rajasthan, the solar tariff fell to a new low of Rs 2.62 per unit. The previous low in tariff was at an auction in Andhra Pradesh where the price was set at Rs 3.15 per unit. In the auction, Phelan Energy Group and Avaada Power, companies based in South Africa won the bid to build capacities of 50 MW and 100 MW by bidding at Rs 2.62 kWh per unit.

This low also beats the average price of power generated at the coal based plants owned by India’s largest power generation utility, NTPC Ltd. India is set to come to the position of being the third-biggest solar market globally in 2017 to fulfill the 8.8 GW capacity addition projected for the year.